Articles by Harsha and Prabha Koda

Prabha and Harsha Koda are web-technologists and start-up designers based out of Chennai. Their passion to drive has taken them over 6,50,000 kms all over India - either on work or on holiday. When not at work they enjoy a simple 'chai-biskoot' while sitting on their terrace garden. Harsha is also the Co-ordinator of the Federation of OMR Resident Associations (FOMRRA) and the current Secretary at Sabari Terrace.

Last week the consultants tasked with preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the BRTS invited us to a meeting. A few of us from FOMRRA (Federation of OMR Resident Associations), representing citizens living and using OMR (Old Mahabalipuram Road), went to the meeting. The show started with some short films on the "successfully implemented projects" in Pune, Amdavad, Hubli-Dharwad and others. As the consultation started more than an hour late, they breezed through a PowerPoint presentation. However, we, who follow the mass transit planning and development studies associated with OMR, found that most of the data presented was based…

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At Sabari Terrace, an apartment community with 56 flats off the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) in Sholinganallur, we took the first steps towards segregation around five years ago. It started with the creation of a few humble compost pits within our premises - cement rings resting on the ground - where we would dump all our garden waste to begin with. We approached the guru of vermicomposting, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Ismail, and under his guidance started the process of composting our garden waste. Gradually over the next few weeks, months and years, we started approaching the families in the community,…

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